Certain known cylinder head gaskets used in internal combustion engines with several cylinders, mainly in diesel engines, are essentially a metal foil with bands of elastomer attached to the foil to ensure water and oil tightness around the corresponding water and oil passage openings, and components embedded or set in the metal foil to ensure gas tightness around the cylinders.
One of the disadvantages inherent in these known gaskets lies in that, taking account of the width of the elastomer bands attached to the edge of the metal foil, the different passage openings must remain relatively distant from one another, which complicates the manufacture of a cylinder head.
In addition, the collection of gas leaks which are inevitably produced around the flanges of the cylinder linings is difficult to bring about, and it is necessary to provide a gas-leak exhaust channel by means of special machining.